Thursday, 31 July 2014

It's not Jaws by a long shot but Skarnado 2: The Second One is not designed to be taken seriously. It seems the promoters think the same too as they took to scaring shoppers of London with a movie killer shark hidden in a fishmongers.

A terrifying attack by a killer shark shattered the peace at a quiet North London fishmonger after one bloodthirsty beast was let loose amid the catch of the day.

Razor-sharp teeth… glassy dead eyes… and an immense cavernous mouth…

But fortunately for the shoppers and staff at the fishmongers, this wasn’t a real shark – but a stunt dreamed up by special effects producers at Syfy to celebrate the release of Sharknado 2: The Second One.

A team of four artists and animatronic wizards spent two weeks creating the lifelike animatronic shark and embedded it on a fish counter along with sides of salmon and fillets of haddock.

Shoppers at Steve Hatt in Islington who were looking to top up on their Omega 3 got the shock of their lives as the shark centrepiece first twitched – and then thrashed – about on the counter, snapping its jaws and making customers scream, jump, laugh and even flee the shop in terror.

The result is a hilarious prank video to promote Sharknado 2: The Second One, the ultimate B movie, in which killer sharks terrorise New York after a freak weather system floods the city.

Producers worked through the night to create the stunt, placing hidden cameras in strategic locations throughout the shop, before launching their beast on some very surprised early morning shoppers, offering them a taste of what it might be like to experience a sharknado!

Paramedics were on hand to deal with anyone who found the fishy surprise too shocking, but shoppers took it in their stride, even when the catch of the day lurched forward as if it was about to take a chomp out of them.

Steve Hatt, fishmonger, says; ‘We’ve sold some big fish in our time and pride ourselves on our extensive range of freshly caught seafood, but we have never stocked anything as menacing or as unusual as a Sharknado shark. Talk about a having a bite of dinner – this dinner bites you!”

The latest issue of Entertainment Weekly features Doctor Who on its cover, and well as an interview with the new Doctor himself, Peter Capaldi.

Of the new Doctor, Capaldi says we can expect him to be “more alien than we’ve seen him for a while. He is less patient with the foibles of human beings.”

In a recent interview with The Sunday Times, Capaldi was asked about his relationship with Clara:

“There’ll be no flirting, that’s for sure. It’s not what this Doctor is concerned with. It’s quite a fun relationship but I did call and say, ‘I want no Papa-Nicole moments.’ There was a bit of tension with that at first, but I was absolutely adamant.”

He also comments on the Doctor’s new costume, as compared to the previous Doctor [played by Matt Smith]:

“I think it’s quite a hard look. I always wanted him to be in black - I just always saw The Doctor in dark colors. Not tweed. Matt’s a really young cool guy - he can wear anything, but I wanted to strip it back and be very stark.”

And on what we can expect from series 8 on the whole:

“We still blow a lot of s*** up. That’s very important, but it’s going to be a bit different from what we’ve seen over recent years. A bit more gravity. Some situations are a bit more sombre and I think there are more rooted dramatic scenes…. we have another level of drama, another tone. And the scenes are longer."

As seen in some photos, such as the one below, a signet ring has been made to hide Capaldi’s wedding ring, which he prefers to leave on whenever possible.

Speaking with Empire magazine, Ben Wheatley [the director of the series 8 premiere episode, "Deep Breath"] said that "Capaldi's his own man but there are elements of Baker and Troughton and Pertwee. He's inherently funny but inherently brooding and complicated, as a performer and a man."

Wednesday, 30 July 2014

The popular entertainment podcast, Monday Night Carlo returns this Monday 4th August and the show is extra special as The Bearded Trio feature as their first guest. I debut my first live podcast appearance and talk all things geeky from Star Wars, Star Trek, Deep Space Nine, Lucasarts and Monkey Island. I also reveal my favourite John Williams soundtrack as well as my favourite Spielberg films. I also have a chance to give my opinion on George Lucas and what he's done for us and the movie industry.

So join me (Rob Wainfur) as I talk for an hour with host Carl Eggett on the return of Monday Night Carlo.

The design team for the Lucas Museum of Narrative art has been revealed. Beijing based MAD architects are the lucky team who will the principal designer for the highly anticipated project. The museum is set to be based in Chicago after winning the site from San Francisco.

George Lucas states,

‘we are bringing together some of the top architects in the world to ensure that our museum experience begins long before a visitor ever enters the building. I am thrilled with the architectural team’s vision for the building and the surrounding green space. I look forward to presenting our design to the chicago community.’

the LMNA carried out a thorough and international search, considering several architects including amsterdam-based UNStudio, who was ultimately runner-up for the principal design role. MAD architects was chosen for its deep record of innovative projects and its overall philosophy of connecting urban spaces to natural landscapes. led by its founder and principal ma yansong, the office will be responsible for the overall concept of the museum building. certainly not its first prominent cultural institution project, the firm’s repertoire includes the absolute towers in ontario, canada, the ordos museum in ordos, china and chaoyang park plaza in beijing, china.

responding to the selection announcement, ma yansong expresses, ‘it is a gift to be able to design the lucas museum of narrative art in a city so rich with architectural history. I am humbled and honored to be given this opportunity to create a timeless design that moves and inspires people just like mr. lucas’ collection.’

to connect the facility to the neighboring northerly island, the museum will undertake the construction of a bridge, at no cost to the city of chicago. LMNA has select jeanne gang to design the landscape and viaduct, based on her recent experience on the island to transform an existing airport runway into a vegetated landscape. to comment on the project commission she remarks, ‘we are excited to build upon our current work and collaborate to create a seamless transition between the museum campus and northerly island. in keeping with the northerly island ethos, our design goal will be to create a combined ecological and urban habitat.’

Recent rumours of Simon Pegg being on board for Star Wars VII and a slip of the tongue at SDCC by Benedict Cumberbatch indicating that the Paul and Star Trek Into Darkness star was in yet another JJ Abrams movie have been quashed somewhat by Pegg himself. Talking with Vulture.com he says:

"Well, J.J. uses me in different roles, and we’re good friends. I feel like my face in Star Wars would pop people out of the movie. Look, I love Star Wars, and I don’t want people to watch and go, Oh, there’s Simon Pegg’s face. The film is cleverly cast with these amazing, unknown actors. (emphasis Vulture's)"

So, you’re not in the movie?

[Smiles.] Of course I visited the set. It’s amazing, and I love Star Wars. I want to see everything happening. It looks wonderful, and you need to believe those characters. Any type of stunt casting might just pop you out of the movie.

Hmmm. You could read between the lines here and think he may actually be in make up. Stay tuned.

Tuesday, 29 July 2014

"In March 1952 [John Williams] was reassigned to the 596th AF Band, Pepperrell Air Force Base, St. John's, Newfoundland. During his stay at Pepperrell he was able to put his training to use with special arrangements penned for the 596th Dance band and Newfoundland folk songs re-arranged for the concert band sparking the many appearances of the Pepperrell Band. His greatest accomplishment during this period was the composing, arranging, directing and playing of a 22 minute film background score for a Newfoundland travelogue entitled "You Are Welcome." The success of this accomplishment was reflected in the film being selected as "one of the outstanding travelogues for 1954" during a premier showing in New York City. The score was unique in that it utilized themes from Newfoundland folk songs for local color. In addition, the fact that the recording ensemble, composed of members of the 596th AF Band, was limited to 12 pieces and lacked the ever present "lush" string section necessitated Johnny to call upon his former training to gain proper utilization of the limited instrumentation and intricate scoring to give the over-all effect of a large orchestra."
- Paul Galloway, The Beacon, Aug.27, 1954

For all those budding Dennis Murens out there or those inspired by Industrial Light & Magic and want to know more about the creative talent behind the animation and visual effects then the BFX Festival is for you.

The BFX Festival returns to Bournemouth this summer to celebrate British talent and creativity in animation, computer games and visual effects and inspire the next generation of people to enter the booming industries.

Last year’s BFX Festival was a fantastic celebration of visual effects, animation and games and this year’s event is aiming to build that success, with experts and enthusiasts from across the UK and beyond presenting an amazing selection of material and leading a range of Festival activities that will appeal to all.

Tickets are now on sale for the Festival, which will take place across four days from 24-28 September 2014, hosted at the Bournemouth International Centre.

Talks featuring movie titles such as The Lego Movie, Gravity, Maleficent, Godzilla, Guardians of the Galaxy and The Edge of Tomorrow will be on offer, giving delegates an insight into the range and quality of visual effects needed to create such blockbusters. Legendary computer games, such as the new instalment of Elite from Frontier Developments, called Elite: Dangerous will also be presented.

Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Animal Logic.

As well as talks from industry experts on some of this year’s best VFX and animation there will also be a large concept art exhibition direct from the vaults of Walt Disney Animation Studios and Walt Disney Pictures; featuring concept artwork from the movies Sleeping Beauty and Maleficent.

A series of workshops will be available for those wishing to explore animation and VFX techniques further and a number of family activities are also on offer, including children’s animation workshops and public cinema screenings. Talks and workshops have been created with all levels of expertise and knowledge in mind, and the Festival is open for all members of the public to attend.

The Festival is being organised by the International VFX Hub; a collaboration between the award-winning National Centre for Computer Animation (NCCA) at Bournemouth University and the Faculty of Media and Performance at the Arts University Bournemouth (AUB).

Sofronis Efstathiou, Senior Lecturer at Bournemouth University and the BFX Festival Director said,

“We are delighted to be hosting the second BFX Festival this year and to celebrate the best VFX and animation in the world. There is truly something for everyone; from industry experts to hobbyists, animators to technical directors. Come and learn more about this amazing industry and the hard work that goes into creating some of your favourite movies and computer games.”

Companies such as Animal Logic, Framestore, Double Negative, The Mill and MPC will be speaking at the Festival, along with Festival partners The Foundry, Chaos Group, Next Limit and AMD.

At the heart of the Festival is the BFX competition – where students from around the country will be competing to create the best animation and visual effect from a selection of briefs and screenplays given to them. The competition, which is held on Bournemouth University’s and Arts University Bournemouth campus, replicates a film studio with participants working in groups of up to six to create a short visual effects or animation sequence. Teams are mentored throughout by industry practitioners, with a panel of industry judges picking the winning team and awarding prizes.

The competition is currently underway, with teams from 10 higher education institutions taking part, competing for a variety of award and prizes across a number of categories, with winners due to be announced during the Festival itself.

Tickets for the BFX Festival can be purchased on Eventbrite with Early Bird discounts available.

More information about the BFX Festival (including ticketing), and the BFX Competition, can be found at www.bfxfestival.com.

Monday, 28 July 2014

A new Doctor Who teaser trailer hit our TVs on Saturday. It's blink and you'll miss it but you do get a glimpse of the interior of the TARDIS. Peter Capaldi as the Doctor is sat on top of the TARDIS and simply says dramatically, "Listen!"

Clevver Movies sat down with Star Wars Rebels creator, Simon Kinberg and writer Dave Filoni to talk about the much anticipated animated series coming this October.

We sat down with Star Wars Rebels creator Simon Kinberg and writer David Filoni to talk about the origin of the new animated series, how it fits into the larger universe, which character they'd like to see make an appearance in Episode VII and why fans of the original trilogy will want to tune in.

Sunday, 27 July 2014

It's all go at San Diego Comic Con as we get more Star Wars news and it's more Star Wars which is what everyone want's right?

Marvel will be bringing us a new line of comic books based on sci-fi franchise in January withStar Wars, the first of three titles launching in 2015. Taking over the franchise from Dark Horses they are set to waste no time and will release a pair of tie-in books to expand the universe: the ongoingStar Wars: Darth Vaderby writer, Kieron Gillenand artistSalvador Larrocain February, and the five-issue miniseries Star Wars: Princess Leiaby writerMark Waidand artistTerry Dodsonin March.

Heading up Marvel's first Star Wars comic in years and the first as part of the new canon led by the Lucasfilm Story Group — which is also overseeing the Star Wars Rebels cartoon and J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: Episode VII next year, among other projects — is a pretty big deal for Aaron, he says. But that's the kind of stuff that excites him as a creator."My desk will be a clutter of Star Wars toys but it's all work related."The trio of new comics take place just after the Battle of Yavin at the end of the original 1977 Star Wars movie, and Aaron's comic catches up with Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Chewbacca and droids C-3PO and R2-D2 a couple weeks after the destruction of the Empire's all-powerful Death Star.

Oh please let this happen! It seems the talented staff at Obsidian who develop the Star Wars MMO, The Old Republic are craving Knights of the Old Republic 3. In an interview with IGN, game designer Josh Sawyer revealed:

“I think there are a lot of the people at the studio that would like to do Knights of the Old Republic 3. think at that time LucasArts was really focused on what they considered to be extreme, extreme blockbusters and even though the Knights of the Old Republic series was pretty successful, it just never seemed like something that was going to happen at that time. Having said that, a lot of time has passed. I know there are a lot of people at the studio who are really interested in doing a project like that.”

“It’s something that comes up every three to six months. We bring it up and talk about it. Not anything terribly serious, but we just say ‘wouldn’t it be cool if?’ and just develop some ideas for what we’d do with that stuff.”

Saturday, 26 July 2014

Mark Hamill was spotted at the premiere of the new Marvel movie, Guardians of the Galaxy sporting a rather bushy beard. Hamill explained he has had to grow the beard for Star Wars VII.

The BBC asked Hamill if it was “great being reunited with Han and Leia” for Episode VII.

“Fantastic,” he replied. “Again, I thought even if they did a third trilogy, we wouldn’t be involved. Because it’s really about the new generation of characters. We’re just there to lend our support, and grow contractually-obligated beards.”

Hamill was also asked about the progress of Episode VII and the overall feel of the movie:

“It really has the spirit of that whole universe...In other words, the characters are so relatable. I think that’s the most important thing. Because no matter what kind of special effects you have the audience has to identify with each of the characters. They’ve done a great job – JJ [Abrams] and Lawrence Kasdan – in writing a script where you immediately understand who these people are and relate to them.”

Friday, 25 July 2014

There's so much going on at San Diego Comic-Con already and Ghostbusters 2 is not going to be left out. Mattel have revealed these awesome Ghostbusters 2 packs which were on display at the event. They are out on September 30th just in time for the anniversary.

Here's a treat for us Star Wars fans. A new trailer for Star Wars Rebels which hits our TV screens this October on Disney XD.Get a sneak peek at what's to come in the first season of Star Wars Rebels, including new scenes featuring the Inquisitor, Ezra's Jedi training, and the appearance of a certain droid duo.

Scheduled to premiere in October 2014 as a one-hour special telecast on Disney Channel, Star Wars Rebels will be followed by a series on Disney XD channels around the world.

Thursday, 24 July 2014

According to a new report from SuperData Research, World of Warcraft earned more revenue than any other MMO in 2013. Hmmm, I wonder if I still have my level 70 priest? Anyway, Star Wars MMO, The Old Republic came in a credible fourth.

The Old Republic, developed by Bioware brought in $165 million worldwide in 2013 but that's pennies in comparison to Blizzard's World of Warcraft which brought in $1.041 billion. It's amazing to think that the MMO was released way back in 1998 and still pulls in the crowds. That's impressive work by the developers.

Here's the top ten. Sad to see that Star Trek Online doesn't feature but most of Trek's revenue comes from microtransactions.

The film - the first one directed by Spielberg since Lincoln - is based on the true story of an American attorney, James Donovan, who was recruited by the CIA in order to negotiate the release of a U2 spy plane pilot, Francis Gary Powers, who was shot down over Russia two years prior to the events that will be depicted in the film.

Hanks plays Donovan, and Amy Ryan will play his wife.

The script is being written by Joel and Ethan Coen, and filming is scheduled to begin in Berlin and New York this September. It has a release date of October 16, 2015.

Chris Barrie and Craig Charles are the first two screen.play guests confirmed for Play Expowhich is set to take place in Manchester, UK on 11th and 12th October.. The duo are best known for their characters Rimmer and Lister in the Sci-Fi comedy Red Dwarf.Chris also played Gordon Brittas in the Brittas Empire and Hillary in the Tomb Raider Films as well as providing the voice for Simon in the game Simon the Sorcerer. Craig was the host of Robot Wars and stars in TV soap Coronation Street.

Craig with be at Play Expo on Saturday and Sunday while Chris will be appearing on the Saturday only. Both will be available for photo-shoots and autographs priced at £15 each.

More guests to be confirmed shortly, in the meantime, better get practising the Rimmer Salute!Play Expo takes place on 11/12 October at EventCity, Manchester. Tickets are on sale now and available through the expo website www.playexpo.net.

Tuesday, 22 July 2014

MR. POTATO HEAD travels to a galaxy far, far away with an all-new line of Star Wars Collectible Figures. Under license from HASBRO INC. and DISNEY CONSUMER PRODUCTS, PPW TOYS is releasing a line of Star Wars MR.POTATO HEAD figures starting summer of 2014.

These Star Wars Spuds are highly detailed, fully-functioning collectible toys with a variety of fun components to mix and match. Detachable pieces include lightsabers, blasters, body-armor and costumes. Designed with collectors in mind, these unique toys will be a must-have for fans of all ages – whether for play or display.

The first wave includes four classic Star Wars characters: R2-D2, Yoda, Darth Vader and a Stormtrooper. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with these two very important, iconic brands and we plan to take full advantage of the Star Wars universe of characters” says Dean Gorby, Business Manager for PPW TOYS. “Although several characters have already received the MR. POTATO HEAD treatment by HASBRO, our line was designed with collectors in mind from the start. We love what our team has created so far and are fired-up about the next wave of characters already in the works.”

This product will be available at specialty retailers and e-tailers in the US, Canada and Europe Summer 2014.

Created in 1952, MR. POTATO HEAD, the first toy to be featured in a television commercial, became an instant hit with youngsters. Over the past 60 years, the beloved character has emerged as an American icon, a true evergreen brand with broad demographic appeal.

Watch the Ghost crew battle Imperials and Ezra embrace his Jedi destiny in this exciting new trailer! Coming To Disney XD This October.

The Jedi have been wiped out and the Empire spreads tyranny through the galaxy. Hope runs thin. But on the small planet of Lothal a big change is looming. A group of rebels meet a 14-year-old con artist named Ezra and soon it's clear their destinies are linked. Aboard their ship, the Ghost, Ezra and the rebels embark on an adventure to ignite a rebellion and strike back against the Empire.

Ron Gilbert the genius behind Maniac Mansion has posted his original pitch documents on his official blog, Grumpy Gamer. Here's a sample of those documents but head over to his page to see more and and read how there was no official pitch process at Lucasfilm Games back in the day. A simpler time.

Here is the original pitch document Gary and I used for Maniac Mansion. Gary had done some quick concepts, but we didn't have a real design, screen shots or any code. This was before I realized coding the whole game in 6502 was nuts and began working on the SCUMM system.There was no official pitch process or "green lighting" at Lucasfilm Games. The main purpose of this document would have been to pass around to the other members of the games group and get feedback and build excitement.

A new Jurassic World poster has been released for the San Diego Comic Con. The poster teases us with everyone's favourite "clever girl" the velociraptor and she's been busy. Seen in the poster the dinosaur is standing on top of a ruined Jurassic Park vehicle. In the distance you can see buildings being constructed, presumably a new park and a helicopter transporting new "cargo" to the new attraction.

To celebrate the release of Transformers Prime Season 2 on DVD we are giving you the chance to WIN a copy of the DVD. The DVD not only comes with volume 1 of season 2 but you also get a Transformers toy and trading cards too! We have two copies to give away. To win a copy of this awesome DVD brought to us by Hasbro all you have to do is answer this simple question.

Which company, founded by George Lucas provided the special FX for the Transformers movies?

To enter just tweet your answer to us @thebeardedtrio or on our Facebook page. Alternatively you can leave your answer in the comments section at the bottom of this page. Closing date is Sunday August 3rd so get your answers in now.

The AUTOBOTS roll out TRANSFORMERS PRIME Season 2 Volume 1 on DVD and digital download. For
the ultimate TRANSFORMERS fans there is a limited edition DVD, complete with TRANSFORMERS
figure and TRANSFORMERS trading cards.

When OPTIMUS PRIME’s memory is erased, the sinister MEGATRON manipulates
him into joining the DECEPTICONS. Jack and Arcee travel to Cybertron to find
the legendary super-computer VECTOR SIGMA, and the AUTOBOTS devise a risky plan
to get their leader back.

Monday, 21 July 2014

The Michael Bay movie and fourth instalment of the Transformers franchise, Transformers: Age of Extinction continues to be a huge hit in China and easily becoming the top grossing movie ever in the country. With special effects by Industrial Light & Magic it seems the Chinese are lapping up the tyipcal Bay movie with big explosions and close up battle shots.

"Transformers: Age of Extinction” keeps extending its lead over “Avatar” as the top-grossing movie ever in China, dominating the mainland box office for a third consecutive week and taking in $52 million in the seven days ending Sunday.
In its first 17 days in theaters in China, the Michael Bay film grossed $260 million, $36 million above the record set by “Avatar” in 2010, according to figures from Shanghai-based consulting firm Artisan Gateway. With two weeks left for the Paramount Pictures film in Chinese cinemas, it looks like it could reach the $300-million mark before it completes its run in the country.

It seems it's not all good news for the metal bashing movie though as a law suit may be filed against Paramount for not correctly showing product placements. A Chinese company is to sue because as was previously agreed with the company, four Chinese characters did not spell out "China Wulong" in the movie.

Paramount sent a letter through its partner in China, M1905.com, explaining that it was a mistake during post-production. But Wulong wasn’t satisfied with the answer and says it will go ahead with the lawsuit, though no papers have yet been filed.

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What Is The Bearded Trio?

Celebrating All the work from George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and John Williams. All the latest news updated daily. We are geeks and huge fans of their works. from Lucasarts to Lucasfilm, Star Wars to Indiana Jones. We will try to bring all the latest everyday. We will also report on other fandoms and geek stories. Follow us on Twitter or on Facebook. Feel free to let us know what you feel about our site or if you have an article you would like us to post.

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What Is The Bearded Trio?

Celebrating All the work from George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and John Williams. All the latest news updated daily. We are geeks and huge fans of their works. from Lucasarts, Lucasfilm, Star Wars, ILM, Skywalker Sound and loads more. We will try to bring all the latest everyday. Follow us on Twitter or on Facebook. Feel free to let us know what you feel about our site or if you have an article you would like us to post.